1. Field of Invention
The invention concerns a device and method for connection of an ink transfer roller in an inking or printing unit of a printing machine, the roller consisting of at least one roller body to which end pins are connected, each pin of the roller being mounted to rotate in a bearing housing of the inking or printing unit via at least one bearing, the ends of the roller including couplings with which the roller can be connected and fastened in the inking or printing unit and in which at least one end pin of the roller can be splined to a shaft piece of the drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During a job change on printing machines it is necessary to replace the ink transfer rollers to which the rollers carrying the printed image belong with other new rollers of the same function.
In printing machines of the prior art, especially in flexographic printing machines, the pin of the roller on the drive side is equipped with a gear, which engages in the drive sprocket of a drive after introduction of the roller into the printing machine. On the operator side the pin is equipped with a bushing, which is brought into contact with a drive unit of a side register device. The gear bushings are so-called change parts. These change parts must be mounted on the end pins before introduction of the roller and removed again from the pins (by hand) after removal of the roller.
The roller change and therefore order change on printing machines is very time-consuming because of the change parts on the roller pins.
Patent application EP 1 016 520 A1 shows a drive coupling for connection of a drive shaft of a roller drive to a replaceable roller of a printing machine. The roller pin includes a locking part which can be coupled via a clamping piece of the drive shaft that matches it. Matching here means that the angle position of the cylinder agrees with the angle position of the drive shaft.
A shortcoming in EP 1 016 520 A1 is that the coupling of the roller to the drive must occur by hand, which is irksome and time-consuming.
DE 44 42 575 C1 also discloses a device for coupling of an ink transfer roller in an inking or printing unit of a printing machine. It shows an actuator for splined connection of the ink transfer roller to a shaft piece of the drive. The actuator then forces a half-coupling against a second half-coupling of the ink transfer cylinder. The drive force for the cylinder is transferred from a gear to a hollow shaft. A selector shaft arranged non-rotatable but axially movable in the hollow shaft is arranged within the hollow shaft for coupling and uncoupling of the cylinder. The torque of the hollow shaft is transferred to the selector shaft in this way. The torque is transferred from there to the hollow cylinder via the two half-couplings.
This arrangement does not permit adjustment of the side register.